HONG KONG National Security Law sparks brain drain in Hong Kong

They leave the city due to the lack of academic freedom and the fear of ending up in jail for their research and teaching activities. In 2021, the population of Hong Kong decreased by 23,600 units. Another factor that affects the exodus is the draconian regulations to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Hong Kong () – The National Security Law promoted by Beijing has been in force for two years. Since its introduction, the city’s universities have been facing a growing brain drain. The engine of the exodus is the lack of academic freedom and the fear of ending up in jail for engaging in research and teaching activities. Not to mention the local universities, which fire “non-alienated” professors or terminate their contracts and do not renew them.

Although there is still no accurate data on the number of university professors who have left the former British colony since the summer of 2020. However, Asian Nikkei provides an indirect calculation: in the last academic year, the proportion of university professors from mainland China reached almost 25% of the total – when a few years ago it was 19.6%. In the same period, the percentage of foreign teachers fell to 28.5%.

This flight from the city is a broader phenomenon and mainly affects dissidents and pro-democracy activists, who are forced to take refuge abroad to avoid going to jail. According to city government figures, Hong Kong’s population decreased by 23,600 people in 2021.

In a survey published earlier this year, the US Chamber of Commerce revealed that 42% of foreigners residing in the city plan to leave. Foreign companies find themselves in a similar situation: at that time, 26% were considering moving their business to other countries.

These are all figures that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not mention on July 1st. That day will be fulfilled 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty after the British colonial hiatus, and the city’s new Chief Executive, John Lee, will also be sworn in. It is not yet clear whether Xi will attend directly or through a connection, but it is well known that the Chinese leader only wants “patriotic” academics in the city.

The migration of thousands of Hong Kong inhabitants is not only due to the weakening of the freedoms that the city has traditionally enjoyed and that had been guaranteed by China with the return of Hong Kong in 1997. Analysts maintain that the strict regulations against the pandemic of Covid-19 have also impacted the migration of thousands of inhabitants who leave the city.